One Shell of a Life
by Dawn Totadile
Summary: Human-High School AU The turtles and their sister, Miwa have been orphaned and separated. When they all enter High School, they meet up, and this time, no one is splitting them apart ever again. Rated for angst, child abuse, bullying, and harrasment... rated awesome though for TMNT Ninja action...
1. Chapter 1

_BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, goes an alarm until it is hit and nearly crushed by the fist of a fifteen year old Asian boy._

Donatello muttered as he got up from his comfortable bed for school. He trudged to the shower where he cleaned himself up. He slothfully moved towards the mirror where he kept his glasses and hairbrush. He brushed his hair forward in what he used to call "Hamato Spikes" when he was a child, before he placed his glasses in front of his red-brown eyes. He sighed as he looked at one of the last scraps he had to remember his past life. It was a small drawing done by his baby brother of the four of them and their father, as well as their sister.

They had lost their father when they were five and had continued living on the streets together until Child Services had dragged them to a horrible orphanage. Michelangelo had kept wishing that their father, Master Splinter, would come back for them, but he had disappeared. No one, not even the smartest of the quintuplets, Donatello Hamato, knew where Hamato Yoshi, also known as Master Splinter, had gone. The children had been taken one by one, all leaving Donatello alone; holding onto the hope that someone would remember him and take him to his brothers and sister.

Donatello sighed as he put on his favorite purple t-shirt and his black pants. He then put on his favorite tennis shoes and looked at himself in the mirror. He tried to smile, but found that it was hard for him to do. He practiced a few Katas with his Bo staff, just like his father and siblings would expect of him, every morning. After a few minutes, he heard the usual sounds of his adoptive guardian, April O'Neil, starting breakfast.

April was a red headed scientist with a big heart. She had seen Donatello sitting in his corner of the orphanage with his picture of his family that his baby brother had drawn, crying. She had scooped up the six year old boy, as he had been then, and told the adults that she was taking him in as her nephew. They questioned why she would want such a strange tot for a nephew, but April was insistent. Later that month, Donatello was in the care of his "Aunt" April, and only four things could have made him happier, or more precisely, four people.

"Donatello! Breakfast!"

Donatello sighed as he placed his Bo staff away. He was just lucky that April encouraged his further learning of Martial Arts for self-defense. He often felt like it was his only tie to his family anymore. "Coming, Aunt April!" Donatello ran downstairs with the speed of a ninja and was quickly helping to set the table. Within months of adopting him, April had learned that her "Nephew" had actually been trained as a Ninja when he was a child, and that he was quite good, though still early in his training. Donatello wasn't aggressive, but the mental exercises did him good as he quickly accomplished anything given to him.


	2. Chapter 2

After spending a great amount of time meditating, Hamato Miwa, more commonly called Oroku Karai now, had finally found someone that she had been looking for. Her eyes teared up as she got her outfit on for her first day at her new school. She smiled as she dressed herself up in a way she hoped desperately that her brothers would recognize her in, even just one of them. She wore a set of black jeans, a biker jacket, and a bumble bee stripped shirt that matched her half blonde, half black, hair. She ran downstairs to her adoptive father, whom she knew to be an enemy of her real father; Oroku Saki. It still confused her to this day as to why he had adopted her when he had hated her father with a great passion.

She had a feeling though, that it would all become clear later, as well as why he had refused to even consider taking in her poor brothers. 'Don't worry guys, I'm coming…' She let a small tear slip as she realized that she had sensed Donatello while he had been training. 'My genius brother… Donatello, I'm almost back to you. I can sense you… just hang in there…'

Similar feelings were being shared as Miyamoto Leonardo took his early morning run before heading to his new school. He stopped suddenly as he thought he heard his sister's voice. 'Miwa?' He looked around, finding no one and continued on his run, realizing that he might meet up with her and his brothers at the new school. He smirked as he nearly finished his run. 'It's worth a shot.' A Japanese Ronin, who had moved to America a few years ago, named Usagi, had adopted him. Though Usagi knew that he could not replace the boy's father, he offered to instead be his uncle, and after Leonardo had asked, his mentor in the ways of the Samurai, which they found mixed quite well with his ninja training he had received from his father. Leonardo increased his speed as he ran towards his new school where he had a feeling, some of his more important questions would be answered; like where his siblings were.

Raphael froze as he felt something, or someone, looking for him, or at least thinking really hard about him. It was strange to think about. He put his sais away as he realized the time. "Ah, Shell!" He started running while grabbing his bag. "Uncle Casey, I gotta go or I'll be late to the new school!" Casey Jones had expected this and already had a cereal bar ready for Raphael Jones-Hamato, his adopted nephew, to grab.

"Have fun, and don't pick a fight. We do that at night after all. I'll see you in gym class." Casey was to be the new gym teacher for the school.

"Right!" The two went out like vigilantes in the middle of the night, cleaning up the streets and such. It was one of their favorite hobbies, especially since Raphael used it to keep searching for his lost siblings. Though he'd never admit it, he was the type who would do anything for his family.

Michelangelo froze as he felt someone was crying. He frowned, causing his older "Cousin" to worry, as Michelangelo rarely frowned. "What is it, Mikey?" James Daimyo asked as the boy put his nunchakus away. James was the son of the man who had adopted Michelangelo as his nephew, having known the boy's father; Hiro Daimyo.

"I need to get to school. My brothers and sister are going to be there!"

"What?"

"Just trust me, I'm gonna be late anyway if I don't hurry!" Michelangelo ran as he grabbed his bag and headed for the door. "Catch you guys later!"

"Um… bye… Mikey?"


	3. Chapter 3

Donatello shuddered as he entered the school. All of his training as a ninja was yelling at him that something was happening. He didn't understand just yet what was going on, but he knew something big was happening. He made his way to his first period class as quickly as he could, taking care to watch out for whatever was causing the strange feeling.

"Ah, Donatello. You're here early." Donatello looked up to the front of the room where his Auto Mechanics teacher, Mr. Nano-bot, or Mr. Nano for short, was organizing who would be doing what.

"Oh, hello, Mr. Nano… hope you don't mind, but I figured I'd start early…" He lied smoothly, having become used to lying to teachers about his feelings and his injuries from the other students. Some of them could get really violent.

"Ordinarily I wouldn't allow it, but since it is you, I'll allow it… so long as you agree to helping a new student to catch up." Nano smiled as Donatello nodded. "Good. When he shows up, I'll point you out to him. You both will be working on those two bikes. He'll work on one while you work on the other."

"Yes sir…"

"Oh, and Donatello."

"Yes?"

Nano started writing on his notepad while still talking to the student. "Those bikes were left in the junkyard. Provided you both can get those things running, I'll let you and the new boy keep them, deal?"

Donatello smiled. "Thanks." Donatello had always wanted a motorcycle, as he had promised to make one of his brothers the best bike in the world.

"No problem."

It didn't take long for the other students to start coming in; they just came in following the new boy. The new boy was a rebel student with green eyes and good looks. He looked like the kind of kid who would take on the world just for the heck of it. He had black hair that shagged forward like Donatello's, and he wore a red tank top under a biker jacket. The girls were swooning over him while the boys were trying to figure out who he was. He kept silent, trying to get them to leave him alone. His temper was short and starting to boil. The students were annoying him.

"Leave me alone, ya freaks." He growled with a Brooklyn accent. He then raised an eyebrow as he noticed one student who wasn't treating him like some sort of celebrity. Donatello was working on one of the motorcycles' engine. "Who's that?" He asked, knowing that someone would answer. He felt like the boy might be one of the few sane ones in the entire school, seeing as how he was interested in actually doing something other than follow new kids around.

The students looked at where he was pointing and frowned in disgust at the scientific boy. "Oh, that's just Don. He's no one special." One of the girls explained in a grossed out tone.

Mr. Nano noticed the students gathered around the new boy and frowned. "Students, get to work on your vehicles. They are parked in front of your usual work stations." At this point, many of the girls tried to get the new kid to be their partner. "Young man, come here." The boy shrugged off the girls and made his way to the teacher.

"What?"

"Know anything about motorcycles?"

"Been working on them since I could pick up a screwdriver." The boy smirked. He wanted to prove himself without seeming like he was full of himself, but he was just answering truthfully. He used to work on bikes all the time with his genius brother when they were toddlers.

Mr. Nano nodded in approval. "Good, then you won't have a problem working with young Donatello."

"Donatello?" the boy's turtle green eyes lit up in shock. 'It can't be!'

"Yes, he's the young man in the back. You both shall work on two bikes. You can even keep them if you finish them. I got them from the junkyard, so they're only good for this unless someone gets them to work." Nano smiled. "Don't underestimate Donatello just because he's different though. The boy's been through a lot."

"Right…"

"Raphael, right?"

"Yeah…" He grabbed his tool kit from his backpack. "How long do I got to work on the bike?"

"Oh, a few days. Feel free to ask Donatello for help if you need it. He's usually quite fast at his projects."

Raphael nodded. He walked over to Donatello as quietly as he could. Donatello was taking apart the engine of one of the bikes. He kept muttering about the different parts of the bike, trying to remember what his older brother had told him about it. Donatello was too distracted to notice the new boy come up to him.

Raphael took in Donatello's looks like he would a bike; with extreme detail. Donatello had taken off his jacket and was wearing a purple t-shirt. He also had that gap in his teeth that Raphael remembered fondly from his childhood. He took a deep breath and decided to do a "Donnie" thing and test the water.

"Hey…"

"Hey…" Donatello was still working. Raphael smirked. 'Typical Don.'

"I'm the new kid…"

"Nice ta meet you. Know anything about bikes?" Donatello didn't even look up as he started fixing some of the wires.

"Yep. You?"

"My big brother taught me everything I know. I'm not as good as he is, but I've come a fair way from back then."

"Big brother huh? I take it he knew what he was doing?" Raphael smirked. 'Did he really think I knew everything about bikes? I was only four!'

"For a child who couldn't write his own name yet? Yeah, Raph knew anything and everything about Motorcycles."

"Huh, Raph?" Raphael smirked. 'Gotta be him… Didn't know he thought so highly of me though, heh.'

"Yeah, short for Hamato Raphael. Real smart guy when it came to motorcycles, but not much else. Then again, we were only kids, so it was still amazing he was that smart."

"Heh, I bet. Any other siblings?" Raphael almost let out a laugh when he heard that. Rarely anyone considered him smart. They always considered Donatello as the genius, not him, so to hear that the genius of the family considered him smart, well that was high praise indeed. 'Don, you are the turtle! Man, this is too good!'

"Yeah, a sister and two other brothers. We were all born on the same day if you can believe it." Raphael started working on the other bike while he kept playing twenty questions with Donatello. Donatello had never been asked much about his family and saw no harm in answering the first student who actually asked rather than assumed stuff about him from his looks. It was a nice change for him, even if he was sure it was temporary.

Raphael noticed that Donatello's tools had purple handles while his own had red. Donatello's favorite color had always been purple. 'Turtle luck running in our favor for once… hope it holds…'

"I can believe it. What were their names?"

"Miwa was my sister, she was the oldest of us. Leonardo was the next oldest and then came Raphael. I came before my little brother, Michelangelo. Heh you'd be hard pressed to find a more happy-go-lucky kid than Mikey."

"Yeah, I bet. Haven't quite gotten your name yet, kid." Raph smirked as he waited in anticipation for the name that he knew the boy owned.

"Heh, sorry. Name's Donatello Hamato-O'Neil. I was adopted by a nice lady named April O'Neil when I turned six."

"Huh… that's funny."

"Why's that?"

"I'd have thought you'd be adopted before the year was up, bucket brain." The other students who had been watching the interaction between the nerd and the new boy were confused. Raphael was acting like he knew who he was, but he had just showed up that day.

Donatello froze for a moment before resuming his work with a small smile on his face and a few tears rolling down from his mahogany colored eyes. "Yeah, well… I had to get Mikey out first, Raphie."

"Heh, don't call me 'Raphie', smart guy." It sounded like the two were going to start a fight from such simple comments. Some of the class was looking intently, hoping to see some action from the new kid.

"Don't call me 'Bucket Brain', hothead."

"I thought that was Leo's name for me?"

"It is, but since he's not here, I figure I should take a shot at it, Raph."

"Heh, stick to the usual, Donnie-boy." The students were shocked. At first it had sounded like the new boy would make fun of the geek like all kids did, but he seemed to be treating him like an old friend. Had the students been paying attention, they would have heard Donatello's explanation about his siblings, but as usual, no one payed attention to Donatello, save for his brother.

"That's not fair, I only have one nickname for you then! OH! Hand me the blowtorch, will ya? I need to work on attaching some armor. I want this thing to be battle ready."

"Right." Raphael nodded in approval and handed his nerdy brother the blowtorch and goggles. "Remember that detailing comes last."

"I remember. These Shell-cycles are gonna be better than what we drew when we were kids though." Donatello smiled as he worked. With his older brother right behind him, he felt better than he had in years. "Careful of the sharp parts, these were in the junkyard, so I doubt they've been sanitized. Hope you got your tetanus shots."

"Heh, you too, bro." The end of class came too quickly for the Hamato brothers, as they were almost finished with their bikes. Raphael and Donatello checked over each other's handy work and smiled. "Not bad, brainiac. Only need to do the detailing and we got us some decent bikes."

"Yeah, but we could make them way faster if we took a visit to the old junk yard and picked up some spare pieces from there."

"True… you free after school? I wouldn't mind catching up… ya know?" Raphael grimaced. He wasn't usually one for sentimentality, but he figured that he hadn't seen his brothers in years, and just finding one was worth the risk of being called soft.

Donatello patted his brother's back as he stood up. He had grown taller than his brother, at a whopping 6' 3" while Raphael still stood at 5' 10". "I'm free, and no problem, Raph. Keep an eye out for the others?"

"Definitely. Can't have Mikey blowing things up right?"

"Or Leo trying to order the whole school, hehe."

"Heh, yeah, and don't forget Miwa."

"Yeah, who knows what damage she could do… especially with a knife when I think about it…"

"Exactly, bro." Raphael then grabbed his brother in a headlock as the teacher came to inspect their work. Donatello smiled and laughed as Raphael gave him a noogie. "Good to see you're okay, ya little genius, though I guess I can't call ya 'little' anymore, huh?"

"Hehe, Raph!" Donatello laughed. "Come on, let me go, hehe." The other students were glaring at Donatello as he and Raphael disconnected and found that they had received a good grade for the day's work. Some detailing and a new coat of paint would be done the next day.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the two's fun. Donatello adjusted his glasses and smiled at his older brother by ten minutes. "I'll see you later then?" Raph asked as he grabbed his bag.

Donatello nodded as he grabbed his own. Then he held up his hand as though to make the sign for "Live long and prosper". Raphael grinned. "Yep." Raphael did his own hand like that and the two gave a strange variation of the High-five with it called the "High-Three". So far, it was the best day that Donatello had had in years.


	4. Chapter 4

Donatello couldn't help but smile as he entered his science class. He had just gotten one of his big brother's back. 'Raph's here, but I need to find out if the others are okay… I sure hope Mikey forgives me for sending him off.' Donatello made his way to his desk in the back of the room and adjusted his glasses as he opened his science book. This was the Robotics class given by Dr. Baxter Stockman.

Baxter Stockman was a genius who owned the company, Stocktronics. He was a tall African American man with a buzz cut and square glasses. He also happened to be April's boss. April would run the company when he was busy teaching at the school, but he didn't give Donatello special treatment because of this. He knew from firsthand experience that it wouldn't help with his bully problem. Though he was proud to have the young prodigy in his class, he knew that the boy attracted trouble like the plague. Donatello was a modest boy who sometimes didn't even know how smart he was. He just took it as a normal situation that anyone could handle.

The class filed in slowly, much to Stockman's chagrin. He was used to it though. Only two of his students even liked the class; Donatello, and Leatherhead. Leatherhead made his way past the crowd at the door as quickly as he could, frowning at the class' actions.

"Leatherhead, what's going on out there?" Leatherhead had gotten the name from the orphanage he had been in before he had was adopted by a Mr. Mortu Utrom.

"There appears to be a commotion from the new student, Dr. Stockman. The poor boy is trying to get to class, but the girls are all acting rabid." Leatherhead said as calmly as he could.

Stockman frowned as he stepped out of the room and started yelling at the girls to get to class, as well as some male students who were trying to befriend the young boy. He was tall, but not as tall as Donatello. He also had soft pool blue eyes, the classic Hamato spikes that each boy was known to have, and wore a blue dress shirt under his blue jean jacket. Stockman noticed the glare in his eyes as he tried to get away from the group without hurting anyone. It was the same glare that Donatello had when he was concentrating on his projects in class. "Come on, you hoodlums, get to class." The students finally filed in, allowing the new boy to breathe.

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet. What's your name?"

"Leonardo Hamato-Miyamoto. Is this the robotics class?"

"Yes, do you have any skills in robotics?"

"No, but I needed a credit in advanced electronics to graduate so…"

"Ah, of course." Stockman rolled his eyes as though unimpressed. Advanced robotics wasn't required to graduate, and neither was this class, so he had to have some skills in science, not a lot, but some. The boy was obviously trying to be humble or just didn't know how skilled he really was. Stockman then pretended to look around the class for an empty seat. 'He's got to be one of Donatello's brothers… I wonder how Donatello will react to this…' He then acted like he just noticed Donatello didn't have a lab partner, not that the boy ever did, since Leatherhead was always taken by some of the other students. "Why don't you work with the young gentleman in the back." He pointed out the purple shirted nerd with glasses. "He's one of my best students and I'm sure he'll be more than happy to get you caught up."

Leonardo smiled gratefully to the teacher. "Sure, thanks."

Stockman walked the boy over to the back, interested in how Donatello and Leonardo would react to each other. "Mr. Hamato-O'Neil."

Leonardo blinked at the strange name. 'It's similar to mine!'

Donatello looked up from his book and noticed the new boy. His eyes widened in shock as he recognized the classic spiked hair that was trademark in the family, and the fierce blue eyes that also had a strange calmness to them. 'That's impossible!' Donatello cleared his throat. "Um… y…y…yes, Dr. Stockman?"

"This is young Leonardo Hamato-Miyamoto. I'm assigning him to be your lab partner. Think you can help him to catch up, Donatello?"

Donatello's eyes widened even more before he fainted from shock. Leonardo caught him before he fell out of his chair. "Don? Donnie? Donatello, are you okay?"

"Ugh…" Donatello shook himself out of his shock and looked up at Leonardo with a pained expression. "Sorry about that. I don't know what happened…" He sat up and leaned over the desk once more while trying to calculate the possibility of what was happening actually happening. Reassured that his best student would be fine, Dr. Stockman returned to the front of the class to start teaching.

"Don… you're Donatello Hamato, aren't you?" Leonardo asked slowly as he sat down next to his brother. Donatello looked at him with the same pained expression he had the day that Leonardo had been adopted. It was almost too much for the young man to bare.

Donatello sighed and replaced his pained expression with that of relief. He looked around at the other classmates who were glaring at him, as though he had planned on fainting just to be held by the handsome boy. He rolled his eyes. 'I don't swing my Bo staff that way…' He then turned back to Leonardo. "As much as you are Leonardo Hamato." He grinned as Leonardo chuckled in shock.

"Alright, Don." Leonardo couldn't help but smile as class started. He glanced over to his brother every once in a while writing notes. "So… you gonna tutor me?"

"Sure. You wanna meet me and Raph after school? We figure we can get some parts for our motorcycles from the junkyard after school."

Leonardo perked up instantly at this. "You found Raphael?"

"Heh, more like he found me. You see anyone else?"

"Just you, what about you?"

"Just you and Raph. I hope the other two are okay."

"Me too… what's up with these guys here anyway? I got mobbed as soon as I entered campus."

Donatello smirked at his brother's cluelessness. "Leo, you look like some sort of model from sports magazine now. It's the mob mentality. They don't know who you are, but they know you look impressive in their mind, that and you still act like a leader."

"Heh, yeah well…" Leonardo was always stuck with this idea of having to be perfect, and his family all knew it. He was a perfectionist.

"Yeah, I know. By the way, you need to recalculate that equation. It's wrong." The students who were trying to listen in gasped. Donatello had just corrected a new kid who looked like perfection. "Unless you want a short robot that's fuse will blow in the first five minutes…"

Leonardo just smiled though. "Thanks, Donnie. Heh, I don't know what I'd do without you, bro." Leonardo didn't mind being corrected by his genius brother, it made him feel normal. He needed that.

"Whatever you were doing before now..." The two chuckled nervously.

"Hehe, true, but I prefer knowing that I've got my genius baby brother to help me."

"Hey, I'm only younger than you by about ten or fifteen minutes!" The boys chuckled. "Mikey's the baby!"

The other students were looking at Donatello like he was an even bigger freak than they had believed. To find out that he was actually related to someone who was cool was just so hard to believe.

After class was over, Donatello gave Leonardo a copy of his notes. "These should help you to catch up. I'll meet you out front after school if we don't see each other at lunch."

"Sounds great, Don." Leonardo hugged his little brother. "Man, I missed you."

Donatello smirked as he hugged his smaller, but older brother back. "You too, Leo." The two then departed, feeling like a burden had been lifted from their shoulders. Leonardo wondered if he had a class with Raphael as well. Donatello was wondering if he had a class with any other siblings, since luck seemed to be coming his way. 'Only two left… Mikey, Miwa… are you here too?'


	5. Chapter 5

Donatello couldn't help but keep smiling as he entered his history class. True, it wasn't his favorite class, but today had just been so amazing to the young teen already. His smile grew even wider when he found a new student sitting next to his desk, trying to understand his history book. He had been given a sheet of paper that told him what he was missing, but he struggled with concentration. Donatello chuckled.

The boy was also Asian, had the Hamato spikes, and looked like some sort of model. He had bright ocean blue eyes and wore an orange t-shirt under an orange windbreaker. "Ugh… how am I supposed to remember all this nerdy history stuff?"

The teacher, August O'Neil, was too busy trying to get the lesson plan for the other students ready to notice his newest student's struggle. He had purposely placed him near Donatello's seat, hoping the young genius would be willing to help him.

Donatello grinned as he sat himself down next to his baby brother. "Well how about you treat it like your comics where you have to remember what the hero did in order to get to that part in the story? Does that help, Mikey?"

Michelangelo Hamato-Daimyo looked up in shock. He rubbed his eyes as the other students started to pile in. Only one boy would know to tell him that! "Donnie?"

"Yes, Mikey?" Donatello grinned as he looked down at his little brother, as though they hadn't been separated for years.

"DONNIE!" Michelangelo, being the most huggable one of his family, practically jumped out of his chair and onto his older brother while crying happily. "I can't believe it! You're alright! You're here!"

"Mikey, come on, of course I am." Donatello smirked as he placed the youngest and smallest member of the family down on his chair. "Didn't I promise you that I'd be fine, bro?"

"Man, I missed you, bro!" Michelangelo was still crying and clinging to his brother even though he was in his own seat. The other students in the room were getting more and more confused as the day wore on. Don, the most unpopular kid in school, the biggest nerd, geek, and whatever else the students could think to call him… that Don, was friends with three of the most handsomest boys to enter the school? And he was their brother? How was it possible?

"Easy li'l brother, easy." Donatello smirked and ruffled his little brother's hair. "Heh, I'm meeting up with Raph and Leo after school to head out for some parts if you want to join."

"I'm in! Oh, maybe we can convince our guardians to let us all have a sleepover! We haven't even been near each other in… geez, how long has it been since all five of us were together?"

Donatello grimaced as he rattled off the number, "About nine years, seven months, twenty-two days, six hours, and twenty minutes."

Michelangelo looked at his nerdy brother with amazement. "Wow… that's a long time…" He hugged his brother once more before returning to his work. "I'm glad everyone's okay."

"I haven't found Miwa yet…" Donatello grimaced.

Mikey smirked and brushed that off. "Oh, I had her in my math class. She didn't see me because some boys were trying to get her number. She's also being called Karai. She doesn't like it though. I can tell because she's slow to respond when someone calls her that, but I called her Miwa as I left and saw her turn her head towards me just before I ninja vanished out of the room."

Donatello almost laughed as he rolled his eyes. "Mikey, you should have at least let her see you if you're gonna do that."

"I was checking to see if she would respond, besides, these people have all been acting weird anyway. What's up with them?"

"You guys look like celebrities."

"What, and you don't?"

Donatello smirked. "They don't know what I look like under my glasses, so maybe."

"Great, so I need to look like a total nerd to be left alone?" Michelangelo rolled his eyes as he continued working, taking his brother's suggestion as his over active imagination allowed him to see the history books as though from a comic.

Donatello smiled. 'All of them are here, and they're all safe… thank goodness.'

"I've got second lunch by the way, when do you eat, Don?"

"Same, so I'll meet you there. I think it's pizza day."

"Alright!"


	6. Chapter 6

Donatello really didn't like the next class that he had, as it was an art class, but today, he didn't mind. He had just learned that all three of his brothers were safe and in the same school as him, as well as his eldest sibling; his sister, Miwa. He could get beaten to a pulp in this class or the next and he'd still be fine because he knew his siblings were safe.

"OOF!" Scratch that. Donatello glared as he found himself pinned up against a wall by some of the boys who had class with him. "What?"

"What's with you and all the new kids, dweeb?" The biggest asked.

Donatello groaned. "You're kidding, right? They're my brothers, that's all!"

"Yeah? Prove it!"

"How can I prove something that you clowns don't even pay attention to on a normal basis?"

"What did you say, geekwad?"

Donatello felt his courage rage forward as he realized they had him pinned with one of the poles that held a paint roller at the end. The paint roller wasn't attached at the moment, so the tool could easily be used as a Bo staff, just as Donatello liked it.

"I said, how can I prove anything to a bunch of nimrods who don't even pay attention to anything? Honestly, I thought Mikey had a bad attention span until I met you losers."

"Alright, dipweed, that's it. You're history!" Donatello had to disagree, as he pushed back against the pole enough to slip behind it, ducked to the floor, allowing the thug to punch the wall. "OW!" The bully glared and growled at the nerd who had just taken the pole and held it like a staff in front of him. "Don't just stand there, get him!"

Donatello took a deep breath as the bullies came for him. He couldn't let his rage hurt them, no matter how badly he wanted to pay them back for all the damage they had done to him. He set himself up in defensive mode in the clearest part of the room. The first bully comes toward him, he simply jumped over him, flipping, and landed behind him as the thug ran into the wall like a bull who had missed the matador. The second one he swatted on the back with the pole after he had stepped out of his way. The third thug, and biggest of them, charged him while he was busy with the other two. "ACK!" Donatello found himself held up against a wall by a large hand around his throat this time.

"Put him down." Donatello's eyes opened wide as he saw a young woman, slightly taller than Leonardo, with black hair on the top and a dash of blonde under it in the back. She was wearing a bumblebee striped shirt with a black leather jacket that had spikes on it. Her pants were black jeans. She blew a bubble only to pop it and chew once more on the gum. She was rather attractive for a young lady, but that didn't fool Donatello. He had seen that stance she held so many times before when he was a child. His eldest brother and sister, both being trained to use swords by their father, had held that stance since they were three and able to hold Bakkens.

The bullies turned towards the young beauty with curiosity. "Now, now, my pretty," The leader said in a sickly sweet voice. "This is none of your concern. We're just reminding the nerd of his place."

The young lady walked up to them after dropping her bag off at a table. Her dark brown eyes were lit with a fire as she looked at the mahogany eyed boy with a gap in his teeth. "Miwa, I really recommend…. Ack!" The bully tightened his grip on Donatello, causing him to have a harder time breathing. The girl's eyes widened at the name before returning to a glare.

"Shut up, nerdling. The lady doesn't need to be infected by your freak germs."

Miwa's glare hardened before she landed a swift kick in the boy's stomach, causing him to drop Donatello. Donatello took advantage of that to tuck and roll over to his sister with a toothy grin. "Thanks, Miwa. It was getting a little hard to breath there."

"Yeah, I bet." Miwa smirked as she looked her taller brother over. "You've really grown, eh, Donnie?"

"Heh, yeah, you too though."

"Thanks." She then turned her gaze back to the bullies. "Pick on my little brother again, and I'll make sure that you'll need a hospital."

Donatello grimaced as he placed a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Thanks, but you really don't need to do that, sis. Come on, let's have a seat and talk. I haven't seen you since that weird guy showed up to adopt you. How've you been? Are you okay? Mikey says he has math class with you."

"THAT'S who called out to me! I can't believe it, hehe, Mikey's here!"

"The whole gang's here, sis. I'm meeting them after school today to get some parts for my mechanics class if you want to join." Donatello smiled as Miwa sat down next to him and the rest of the students started coming in. They were shocked to see a pretty girl sitting and talking to Donatello like it was nothing.

"Are you kidding?" Miwa smiled. "I'd love too! I'll just call my foster father after school to let him know that I'll be late."

"Sounds great." Donatello laughed for the first time in the school's history, out loud. It startled the other students to hear such a normal and cool laugh coming from the biggest loser in the school. The girls barely caught themselves before swooning. It was a strange feeling in their stomachs, hearing the nerd's almost melodious laugh. They had all expected a nerdy laugh that sounded nasally, not something like this. There was more to Donatello than met the eyes of the school.


	7. Chapter 7

Art class ended quickly as Miwa and Donatello prepared their bags so they could go to lunch. The two ran to the cafeteria after Donatello explained that Michelangelo was going to meet him. While it was normal for many students to chase each other in the halls, it was strange for anyone to see Donatello running through the halls with a smile on his face, and chasing a young girl that was equally happy. Donatello and Miwa made their way to the lunch line and chatted about all that had happened during the past few years, while Donatello skipped over the part about the bullies. Miwa explained that she had been adopted and had her name changed on her, but she still preferred being Miwa.

The two's smiles grew as they saw Michelangelo waiving them over to the table he was sharing with Raphael and Leonardo. The two boys were arm wrestling to see who was strongest now. It looked like the two were tied. "Miwa! Don! Over here!" The other students looked at them weirdly as the five siblings reunited for the first time in years. Michelangelo waited for them to put their trays down and then jumped onto his older sister and brother, hugging them while the two laughed. They had missed their energetic baby brother.

"Oh, Mikey, man it's good to see you again!" Miwa cried as she hugged her baby brother. Donatello just grinned. 'Best day ever' was the thought running though his head as his brothers stopped wrestling to greet him and their sister with smiles.

"So, how are you guys adapting?" Donatello smirked as he pulled the old trick of sipping his milk through the gap in his teeth. His siblings had now sat down at the table and started eating. When the question was asked, the four of them glanced at him and grimaced. "That bad, huh?"

"Not exactly…" Leonardo started. "Just weird. Everyone here is so… strange. I've only met a few students who are actually normal. The others just… I don't know, they gang up on me like fangirls on a celebrity."

"I know what ya mean, bro. After my mechanics class, I had some oil still on my shirt, and some girls thought I was hot or something. I had like a dozen of 'em followin me."

"Ha, that's nothing!" Michelangelo exclaimed. "Get this, I went to the bathroom in second period and I was followed out by six girls! SIX! TO THE BATHROOM! I'm like, 'get a life already!' Sheesh!"

"Heh, you should see how weird the boys are… or better yet, don't." Miwa frowned as she sipped her juice. "I got asked out by a dozen people just before first period started!"

Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo winced as they thought of someone being foolish enough to ask their sister out. Donatello just sighed and ate his pizza. "There are worse things to happen."

The boys frowned, Miwa sighed and patted the nerdy brother's back. She then smirked. "So, we all going to meet out front after school, right?"

"Yep!" The boys grinned.

Donatello smirked. "Yeah, we need some parts for those 'Shell-cycles' we're making in auto shop, don't we Raphie?"

This comment was rewarded with a noogie from the aggressive brother. "What did I tell ya about calling me 'Raphie', Don? Huh? Huh?"

Donatello laughed, as did the rest of his siblings. "Sorry, Raph, hehe come on, let go, Raphael, hehe."

Raphael let go and after giving the boy a small pat on the back, sat back down. "Yeah, don't worry. We'll all go down to the dump, pick up some gear, and hey, maybe even get some pieces for a car? We're almost old enough." Raphael suggested hopefully.

After their father went missing, the children had moved themselves into a sewer area that they had turned into a home. They had been found looking for food a few months after they had been living there, but to them it was home, if only because it was the last time the five of them had been together. Donatello was always making things to improve their lives down there, and one thing that he had always wanted to make was a car.

Leonardo smirked and patted the young rebel's back. "I don't see why not. So long as we tell our guardians we're gonna be late. I don't want to worry my sensei."

"You got a sensei for your guardian?" Michelangelo raised an eyebrow. Their father had often been called "Master Splinter", and he had been their sensei in the way of ninjitsu.

"Yes, he's a samurai. It turns out that our ninjitsu training works well with the way of the Samurai so long as we remain honorable." The siblings smirked at Leonardo. He was always one for doing the honorable thing, as they had been taught by their father to be honorable.

"Nice, my caretaker's a vigilante, but you didn't hear it from me." Raphael chuckled.

Michelangelo smiled. "Mine's a ninja master with magic!"

"I got a ninja master who changed my name to Karai." Miwa sighed as she finished her food. Her brothers looked at her sadly, knowing that she didn't like the name and that she preferred being who she was originally.

"My caretaker's a scientist." Donatello smirked, trying to cheer up his sister.

Miwa laughed. "You must love that."

"Sure, if one of us isn't blowing up the house, it's the other one." Donatello laughed, and his siblings joined in the contagious laughter, making the school slightly wierded out by the fact that their laughter mingled so well, like they were supposed to be together. That was just how the Hamato children felt.


	8. Chapter 8

Fifth period had been an uneventful math class for Donatello, though there had been a few more glares than usual. Donatello didn't mind though as he found himself in the gym with all four of his siblings in the next period. Raphael smirked as the four boys stood side by side, almost looking identical. If it wasn't for their eyes, height, and Donatello's glasses and teeth, they could be clones.

Donatello frowned as he noticed the new gym teacher. "Huh, guess the old guy finally retired. Who's this?"

Raphael grinned. "My uncle Casey, also known as my caretaker. He said he'd be taking over for gym."

"Is he qualified?" Leonardo asked with uncertainty as he noticed the man had some hockey sticks strapped to his back.

Raphael laughed. "To teach? Shell no! Instruct a gym class to pump up some muscles? Sure."

Casey almost did a double take when he looked at the boy he had adopted. There were three other boys next to him that were almost exact duplicates, and a girl that hung out close enough to them so that she wouldn't get pulled away it seemed. Casey smirked. 'Must be his siblings. He always said he'd find them, hehe.' Casey then looked out at the rest of the class who were glaring at the tall boy with glasses. "Alright you mugs, let's get started." He grinned dangerously. "We're gonna play dodgeball." The kids started running to grab teams, most of them aiming to grab Donatello's siblings, but not him. "HOLD IT!" The group stopped. He then pointed at Raphael. "You, choose four other players."

"Right." He moved out of the way of the crowd. "Yo, Fearless Leader, get your sorry shell over here!"

The kids all looked at each other, save for Leonardo, who jumped out of the crowd. The other students were confused. "Right, but it looks like you're leading this one, Raph."

"Right… I'll probably be able to prove I'm better anyway."

"Heh, yeah right, Hothead." The two clasped their hands together and shook as though agreeing to something.

Raphael then looked at the rest of the students who were standing in a cluster. "Miwa, do I have to spell it out for ya? Grab Shell for brains and get over here!" Miwa and Michelangelo smirked as they made their way over to Raphael and Leonardo. Donatello chuckled as his brother was calling all of them by their nicknames from when they were kids. Miwa's nickname had been 'Harmony', but with it also being a real name, he figured it was best to just call out her real name just in case. The other students now were curious as to who would be next. The "Shell for Brains" nickname really just applied to any of them when they were being silly or dumb, but it was used more often for Michelangelo.

Donatello took a few steps forward, knowing that Raphael would likely call him next, but he found himself surrounded by the other students, all glaring at him. He was slightly confused as to why they were blocking him from getting to his brothers and sister, when one of the students spoke up. "They don't need a loser like you on their perfect team. They need someone with skills." Donatello grimaced, knowing the student didn't really know what he was talking about in the skills department.

"Yeah, you couldn't possibly keep up, geekwad."

"Loser."

Raphael glared as his highly sensitive ninja ears heard the insults. 'No one but me is allowed to insult my brothers.' He glanced at his siblings and found that they could also hear, as they were also glaring into the crowd. "Hey!" The crowd stopped ganging up on Donatello to see who Raphael would choose. "Leave Donatello alone or this game's gonna be a lot harder than it already will be." The students were confused but quieted down. "Get over here, Bucket Brain, we need someone smart to balance out Mikey being … Mikey."

"HEY!" Michelangelo pretended to pout, which only increased his cute factor.

Donatello smirked as he made his way over to his family. Raphael nodded and patted him on the back. "You guys are gonna get creamed by us Hamato kids, just so ya know." Raphael threatened. "Don't underestimate us… alone, we're dangerous, together…" Leonardo smirked in confidence. Michelangelo grinned like a little boy. Miwa had a confident smile on. Donatello just looked at his siblings and then at the shocked faces of his classmates. He had to hold in his laughter with his hand. "Well you might just wanna call your mommies right now, heh." Raphael loved using scare tactics.

Casey smirked at the boy's confidence. The five of them radiated enough confidence that it almost floored the rest of the class. "Alright, now the rest of you can choose teams."

The rest of the class chose their teams, all of them confused as to how there were five siblings in one class, and how they could be related to "Don the geek". After they had their teams, Casey organized a chart for the kids to go up against different teams.

Each team took on another, getting to the end of the bracket. The Hamato team quickly showed their strengths, even Donatello, much to the surprise of his classmates. Donatello was quick to dodge, and even quicker to grab the balls. Donatello had always been good at gym, but his classmates had never paid much attention to it before because of his looks and lack of social skills. Raphael, Leonardo, and Miwa were great for shooting, and Michelangelo specialized in annoying the enemy teams by dancing like a maniac to dodge the red rubber balls of doom.

With one match left, Donatello watched the team that would be going up against his family. One of the kids looked at another who had the ball. Donatello noticed the slight nod of the head, but didn't think much of it until it was too late. A dodgeball caught him by surprise on the sides and knocked his glasses off of his face.

Michelangelo was the first to reach him, being the closest at the time. Leonardo grabbed the broken glasses off the floor. "Donnie, you okay?" Michelangelo asked as his brother rubbed his head.

Donatello grimaced as he looked at his brother. "I'm fine. I'm sure it was just an accident." Donatello hissed slightly. Michelangelo understood what he meant. Donatello gave a slight glare to the students who had hit him. Their eyes were all wide with shock. Without his glasses, Donatello looked like he did fit in with the Hamato family. He looked as princely as any one of his brothers did, especially with his mouth shut, hiding the gap in his teeth. He got up and checked his eyesight. "Where are my glasses?" He was close to growling.

Miwa and Leonardo looked at the broken pair of glasses and then at their nerdy brother with a grimace. Leonardo sighed and walked over to him. "They got broken. Do you have a spare set?" Leonardo asked as he put a hand on his taller brother's shoulder.

Donatello frowned, his gaze looking similar to Leonardo's or Raphael's when they were upset about something. "I've got something in my backpack. Mind leading me to the locker room, Leo?"

Leonardo nodded and led his nearly blind brother to the locker room. The girls in the room were shocked at how handsome Donatello looked without his glasses. When the boys came back, Donatello appeared to still not have glasses on. It was time for the final match of Dodgeball; the Hamato family would go against some of Donatello's worst bullies, such as Bebop and Rocksteady. Donatello glared as his siblings took the court with him. He was wearing a set of contacts in place of his glasses. True, he was used to using the contacts, but he much preferred his glasses to the contacts.

The students were shocked when his mahogany eyes were opened all the way and he looked as charming as any of his brothers. Some of the girls couldn't help but swoon, though somewhere in the back of their mind they were still remembering he was a nerd.

The biggest shock was when the five teens huddled before the match started. Once they had agreed on something, the game started. Unlike the other matches, Donatello grabbed a ball first. He pitched the dodgeball with all his strength at a certain angle, knocking out two of the bullies in one shot. Raphael and Miwa cheered as their nerdy little brother took a stand against his tormentors. The rest of the siblings grabbed dodgeballs and started shooting as well until the other team was knocked down.

Donatello's face looked grim until Michelangelo made his way to his elder brother. Donatello then smirked and high-three 'd his brother. "Not bad, Mikey."

"Not bad yourself, Don. You okay?"

"Yeah, I've got my contacts in. April's gonna be upset that my glasses got broke though." They heard the bell ring. "I'm gonna give April a call and let her know I'll be late. Meet up here after you guys call your guardians?"

"We still on for the junkyard?" Raphael smirked.

"How else are we gonna get the parts to fix up our bikes? We could also start on a van or something too. That'd be cool."

"Yeah!" Miwa smiled as she hugged her brothers. Raphael struggled slightly to get out of it, especially when he saw Casey smirking at him. 'Shell.'


	9. Chapter 9

Donatello smirked as he and his siblings made their way to the city junkyard. April hadn't been as mad as he had thought she would be, she was just concerned. Leonardo was relieved when Usagi had said that he could go with his "friends" so long as he was back by supper at six. Michelangelo, Raphael, and Miwa had received similar answers from their guardians.

The five smiled as they arrived and started scavenging for parts. Donatello usually went alone, but he found himself happy to have his brothers and sister there with him. Within an hour, they had gathered enough pieces for not only Donatello and Raphael's bikes, but also enough for Donatello to start building a car of his own. The teenagers were unaware of a shadow watching them with concern in his grey-green eyes. 'Be careful children… the world is not always kind… please be safe…'

"Hey guys, let's take this back to my place and introduce you guys to April." Donatello smiled as he gathered his siblings and the last of the parts.

"Alright!" Michelangelo cheered. The young teens made their way out of the junkyard and down the street. Laughing and talking all the way, one would never tell that they had faced difficulties and loss in their lives. It didn't take long to reach the house that Donatello and April lived in.

"Aunt April! I got some people you just gotta meet!" Donatello called out as they approached the door.

April smiled as she opened the door. Donatello never came with guests. She smirked as she saw the boys and girl that Donatello had described as his siblings. "Well, looks like someone had a good day at school. Come on in, guys. I've got some milk and cookies for everyone."

Donatello laughed with Michelangelo as the five kids ran into the house. It was still only four, so they had two hours before the five would have to split up again from each other for the night.

"So, Donnie, mind introducing me?"

Donatello grinned. "Sure thing, April." The children all put their boxes of parts down. He placed a shoulder on each of his siblings as he introduced them. "The lovely lady here is my big sis, the oldest of us all, ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Miwa Hamato!" Donatello and Michelangelo always liked to turn things into a joke or make it slightly dramatic, being the youngest of the five. Miwa just laughed, as her home life had been far too serious for the past few years. "He's the leader of our little team, the man with the plan, here's Leonardo!"

"Don, you're the guy with the plan usually, I just tend to like them."

Donatello smirked while shaking his head. "Not really, you choose which of my plans to use, and you make your own. Anyway," He then patted Raphael on the back, "He's mean, he's lean, he's a grand fighting machine! Here's Raphael!" Raphael just shrugged him off and chuckled. "And finally, the youngest of us all, the boy with absolutely no sense of danger, here's Michelangelo!"

"HEY! I know what danger is! Danger is making Raph angry."

"Yeah, but you tend to do it anyway." Raphael remarked.

The five children laughed, as did April as she got them all some chocolate chip cookies and milk. "And what titles, pray tell, does the mighty Donatello have?"

Donatello blushed as his siblings grinned deviously. They had titles for their brainy brother alright. Miwa started, "Oh Don's got titles alright, hehe. Brainiac or Genius is the most common."

"Then there's also the typical 'Little brother' one, but that's only for us to use. Mikey has to call him 'big brother.'" Leonardo smirked.

Raphael chuckled next. "Personally, I think ole Bucket Brain works for him. Though Donnie-boy tends to work just as well."

Michelangelo smiles, "Don or Donnie works for me. All in all, he's just,"

"Donatello!" The four siblings say in unison as they tackle their smart, tallest, brother.

"GUYS!" Donatello gives out a fake whine from under the pile. He honestly didn't mind. He let out a few happy tears. He had missed this.

"Nice to see what Donnie looks like when he's really happy." April laughed. It had been Donatello's best day ever.


	10. Chapter 10

It didn't take long for the siblings to become almost inseparable again, not to mention defensive. Once it became evident that Donatello was bullied by the majority of the school, his siblings had agreed to escort him to the next class each time, to pass him off to another sibling, save for math class. Donatello argued that it was pointless though, but that didn't stop them from doing it. Michelangelo walked him to his math class, but then had to run to his own class. After math class, all four of his siblings would show up to take him to gym class where they continued showing just how different their little team of five was. After school every day, the five would gather their things and go to either the junkyard, or their old hideaway that they had in the sewers. It was a small place with multiple different areas that were used as rooms. It even had an area that Donatello had decided to fix into a kitchen. They were fixing the place up to be a proper home away from home for them.

Miwa was having a harder time getting away from her adoptive father now though. She had explained to her brothers that he hated them and their father, but had loved their mother. Miwa just had the uncanny luck of looking enough like their mother that Saki had adopted her as his own. Unfortunately, he was harsh, somewhat abusive, and becoming more so as time passed. Leonardo didn't like the sound of that, neither did the other boys.

"Miwa, he's done a lot of damage to you. He's changed your name, he's belittled our father in front of you, and he's beaten you a few times as well." Donatello complained as he wrapped his sister's leg after the boys found out she had been hurt. She had collapsed near the end of gym class, but thankfully Leonardo had been able to catch her before she hit the floor and did worse damage to herself. She had been embarrassed when they brought her to the nurse's office and found her bruised and poorly bandaged. After the nurse was done, the boys said they'd bring her home, only to bring her to their sewer home where Donatello would be able to do more good for her. "You can't keep taking so much punishment from him. It's not fair to you."

"Don's right, Miwa. You can't keep taking such harsh punishment, especially for no reason." Leonardo agreed as he finished his homework nearby. "We should tell the police or something."

"He has them in his pocket. Oroku Saki is rich and is seen as a humanitarian. No one will believe you, even with proof." Miwa sighed. It was a sad truth for the young girl, but it was no doubt the truth. The boys had given her their addresses so that she could come to them if something went wrong or if things got too hard at home. They had yet to go to anyone's home but Donatello's, as it was nearest, and the others were still concerned as to how their host families would react to five Hamato children.

Raphael hit his favorite punching bag in anger. "Miwa, this is getting too much. You almost passed out in gym class. If he does this one more time, come to one of us, or find me and Casey when we're running around the town! Something! You're our sister. We're family, we stick together." The brothers nodded in agreement. You hurt one Hamato, you deal with them all. "We're not letting them pick us off one by one again."

Miwa let out her tears for the first time in ages as she hugged all four of her brothers. "Thank you. You guys are the best."


	11. Chapter 11

Miwa was crying as she ran as fast as she could. She was being followed, and she knew it. Her caretaker had used his gauntlet on her and she was bleeding pretty badly on her arm. She had to get away. Her brothers were right. It was too much for a little girl to handle. She swallowed a sob as she remembered that even though she was fifteen, she really was still a little girl. She rounded the corner and fell as she bumped into someone. "Ah!" She gasped as she fell, clutching her bleeding arm.

"Are you alright?" The cloaked figure looked at her with a sad gleam in his eyes. "Oh my… what happened?"

"I have to keep running. He'll catch me…" She was terrified of someone as she kept glancing back. She tried to stand up.

"Who?" The stranger helped her up, careful not to touch her injured arm.

"My caretaker! He's violent! He's not what everyone thinks he is, he… he…"

"I understand, child. Do not worry. Come, you shall walk with me and we will get you somewhere safe."

"But I don't know you." She flinched. The tall creature sighed and nodded.

"I know, but it is better to be taken care of than for you to be harmed once more. Where were you heading?"

"My brothers… I gotta find one of them…" Her brown eyes couldn't hold any more liquid and tears started falling down her face.

The cloaked man reached into a sack that he had on him and pulled out another cloak. "You are injured, losing blood fast, and need to keep warm. Calm yourself." He placed the cloak over her in time for her pursuers to run past them and mistake them for an old couple heading home. "Come, I have an old friend that might be willing to help you… I don't know if he will recognize me though… it has been many years since I have seen him, and I have undergone some… changes… but he is a kind man and should hopefully be willing to help you." He bandaged up her arm with part of his own cloak, knowing that she would see what his feet looked like. She gasped as she saw giant rodent feet. "Do not be concerned. It was the results of a failed attempt to kill me." He whispered calmly as he finished wrapping her arm. "This should hold until we get you to some medical supplies."

"Th…thank you… who are you?"

"I am… Splinter… yes… that is what you can call me… and you are?"

'That was my father's nickname…' She sighed as she held her arm. "My caretaker calls me Karai, but my name is Miwa."

"Hmm…" Splinter nodded slowly and helped the girl to a nearby house. "This is my friend's house, Miwa. He should be home at this hour."

Miwa looked at the address, and then at the paper in her hand that held her brother's addresses. "This is where my brother, Mikey, is staying!"

"Ah, yes. The Daimyo is a kind old man." He looked up to the door and sighed. "If you already have family in this house, than I am sure that they will be even more inclined to help you, child. Go on." He smiled kindly under the hood. Miwa nodded once and started up. "Be safe my daughter…" He whispered as he disappeared.

Miwa turned her head as she recognized his voice finally after all these years. It was too late though. He was gone. "Father… daddy…" Her eyes filled with fresh tears. The pain in her arm and the dizziness reminded her of what she needed to do and she ran to the door. "Mikey, you there? It's me, Miwa! I need help!" She cried. She quickly heard the rushing of a pair of feet and two other sets following quickly after. She started to collapse from the lack of blood as the door opened.

"Miwa!" Michelangelo cried as he caught his older sister. "Hang in there, sis. I'll call Don, he'll patch you up… just hang on…" He held his sister closely as his caretaker called for an ambulance. "Who did this to you…?" He cried as he lifted her up with surprising strength and brought her inside.

"Michelangelo, who is this?" James asked in confusion. He was getting really worried with how serious Michelangelo was getting lately. "Mikey?"

"This is my sister, Miwa Hamato. Her home has an abusive adult who was taking care of her… he must have done this…" The usually happy teenager cried as he ran to get the first aid kit. "I'm not as good as Donnie, but… I gotta do something…"

"Allow me," He looked up to Hiro Daimyo, often simply known as just the Daimyo. The Daimyo knelt down beside the couch where Michelangelo had placed the young girl. "I have called for an ambulance and the police. You say that she has an abusive caretaker?"

"She said his name's Oroku Saki. He doesn't sound very nice. He even changed her name to Karai Oroku, but she doesn't like that name. She prefers being called Hamato Miwa." Michelangelo was now blubbering with fear as his caretaker tended to his sister's wounds. "She's the oldest of us, but she would always follow Leo's lead, she… she…" He couldn't help but cry more in fear of losing his big sister.

"Michelangelo, rest easy. She will be fine. The blood has stopped and the ambulance will take her to the hospital to help her."

Michelangelo frowned. "I'm calling my bros. They gotta know what's going on."

"Very well…" The Daimyo nodded. Michelangelo had explained about his brothers and sister when he had come home from school that first day. The Daimyo had never seen him so excited before!

Michelangelo called the three others on the shell cell that Donatello had made them all. He was lucky that he had five-way calling; another perk of having a genius for your older brother. "Guys, it's me. Miwa's hurt at my place. We called an ambulance."

"WHAT!" The three other boys could be heard shouting in shock. Their big sister was hurt! "We're on our way!" Leonardo growled, which was uncharacteristically something that was usually Raphael's move.

"I'm already nearing your street, Leo. I'll meet you outside and you can hop on my bike." Raph growled as the sound of the bike's engine growled with him.

"Right!"

"I'm on my way as well. Tell her to hang on. I've got my kit and everything. We'll fix this. I promise."

"I trust ya, Don. What's your ETA?" Michelangelo was in his serious mode because he was terrified of losing his sister again. It was a rarity that often made the others worry about him as well.

"Leo and Raph, ETA five minutes." Leo called as he jumped onto the dark red bike with his black armored brother, dressed as the Nightwatcher. He'd question him later. For now, his sister needed them.

"Heh, better make that two minutes. I know some shortcuts and this puppy's got some juice." Raph let out a small chuckle, but it was dark and filled with fear and anger. 'No one gets away with hurting my sister so long as I can help it.'

"Donatello's ETA is about 1.3 minutes. I'm closer and on my bike."

"Right!" Michelangelo bit his lip as he sat himself down next to his sister. "The others are on their way sis… just hang in there." He placed a hand over her own and was rewarded with a slight groan. "Miwa?"

"Ungh… Mikey?"

"I'm right here sis. An ambulance is coming… and so are the others… You're gonna be fine…"

Miwa let out a small smile. "Thanks Michelangelo…" She took in another deep breathe. "Sorry for the trouble…" her eyes started to flutter as she fell back asleep.

"You're my sister… you're never trouble…"


	12. Chapter 12

When Miwa awoke again, she was surrounded by her four brothers in a hospital room. They all looked at her with concern in their eyes. She smiled weakly at them until she noticed that Michelangelo had a bandage on his arm. "What happened?"

Donatello cleared his throat and spoke up. "You had lost a lot of blood and you needed a donor. Because of our blood type being O-, that made it hard to find a donor. Michelangelo offered his type and we found that it was a match… as well as the rest of us. It's very rare that all of us would be the same type, in fact, almost impossible, but then…"

"We're an impossible bunch to begin with." Raphael shrugged as he interrupted the nerdy brother.

Miwa and Donatello smirked and nodded. Sometimes Raphael being blunt could stop whole speeches of Donatello's doubt. "Right." Donatello then turned his gaze back to Miwa. "How do you feel?"

Miwa was quiet for a while before replying. "I want father back… _our_ father… and mother too. I miss them." Their mother, Teng-Shen had died of mysterious circumstances when they were two. Miwa clutched her knees while gently having her injured right arm over them. "I'm sorry." She was crying again.

Raphael made his way over to his sister and started stroking her back like she did for them when they were kids. She looked up at him with confusion in her deep brown eyes. "We miss them too, sis. There's nothing to be sorry about."

"Raph's right." Leonardo agreed. "You need some rest. We'll be right here if you need us though, alright?"

Miwa looked at all of them and gave a weak smile. "He'll come after you all if he finds you helping me… you all know this, but you're risking your lives to help me… thank you…" She fell back asleep after Raphael gently pushed her back onto the pillows.

"Mikey, stay in here with her, we need to talk to the adults." Leonardo's voice was somewhat shaky, but it wasn't from his sister's words. It was from her own courage. The fact that she had put up with so much pain over the years. It was startling and admirable. He didn't know if he could have handled it.

Michelangelo nodded and grabbed his nunchakus from his belt, having them ready as though someone would break in to dare and disturb his sister. "I've got her, bro. No one's messing with her while I'm here."

The elder three brothers smirked and nodded as they left one by one. Outside of the room, their guardians were all talking, including the Daimyo; Michelangelo's guardian. The three boys didn't know what to say. They had ran away from their homes the moment they heard that one of their own was in trouble. In all truth, they would have ran all the way if they had to, anything to get to their siblings, to their family.

April, Casey, and Usagi looked at their wards with concern. They had each explained who they were taking care of and the story of the children from their perspective. Usagi was the first to speak as it was evident that Leonardo was the leader of the group usually.

"Leonardo, is everything alright in there?"

Leonardo was shocked. He had thought that Usagi would scold him for leaving the house without permission in the middle of meditation hour. He had gotten the call on the Shell Cell, got up without regard for his sensei, and was already heading towards the door by the time he had understood what was going on. Usagi had heard his disbelief and anger. He had seen the usually calm blue-eyed boy jump onto what appeared to be a stranger's motorcycle when the other boy's helmet revealed himself to look like Leonardo. Usagi had seen Leonardo, who had never ridden a motorbike before, get onto the back of the red bike, strap on a red helmet that was usually used in the day time, and held onto the black armored boy as they raced away into the night to meet up with their sister and brothers. Leonardo had never done something so reckless before in Usagi's memory of the boy.

Leonardo cleared his throat and began talking slowly so he wouldn't accidently speed up too much in his fear and anxiety. "Miwa is resting, and Mikey's guarding her. In his current state, I'd say very few would be able to get past him, and fewer without him noticing. He's very upset and angry, something that is always a rarity for him." The other two boys nodded in agreement.

"But everyone's going to be okay?" Usagi pressed, determined to find out if the five of them were going to be fine.

Leonardo looked up at his sensei with his cold blue eyes. "I think so. We just need to figure out where Miwa will be staying after this… we can't send her back to that place… He'll kill her…" The steel in his voice was noticeable and shocked Casey and April. James was also there with the Daimyo. He didn't understand what had happened to his cousin or why these people were important to him. He only knew that as soon as they were fine, his cousin would be back to normal, and that was something he wanted to help with.

April and the other adults looked at each other and nodded. "We've already got that sorted out, Leo."

The boys looked up in fear. They were worried that they'd send Miwa far away from them, and her abusive father. "R…r…really? How?"

"Since I'm the only girl in the group, I'm taking her into my care. I've got an extra room next to Donatello's and you kids can all come to my place anytime you need to." The boys looked at her with shock and tears in their eyes. April grabbed the three boys in a hug, one that only Raphael struggled out of. "Don't worry. We'll take care of you guys and your sister."

"Promise?" Donatello's voice quivered. He always made her promise on important things because he knew that she always kept her promise.

April smiled. "I promise that we'll do everything we can to keep you five safe and sound, got it, Don?"

Donatello hugged the lady who was still slightly taller than him. "Got it. Thank you."


	13. Chapter 13

A lone shadow looked in through the hospital window from the second story on the stormy night. He knew he shouldn't be there, and yet, he had to be. He owed it to them to take watch from the outside, to guard them from what was out there that they didn't sense in the building. He kept looking in to check on the weakened child as her brothers surrounded her. The shadow gave a weakened smile at the five children as they formed a protective like shield around their sister. They were defensive, and the man who had done this to their sister would pay dearly should he come into their sights.

What startled him was when the purple clad one, wearing his Bo staff strapped to his back, looked out the window, seeming to glare at him, as though he knew he was there. The shadowed figure felt guilty and turned his gaze away for a moment to scan the area. His enemies would know better than to come near him in this weather, surely.

He was wrong. His enemy had come for the children. He saw them first and struck. Quickly the fight brought them to the top of the roof rather than the building edges. He was outnumbered quickly and was about to lose his life when he heard a startling snarl in the storm that was raging. "AWAY FROM HIM!" A staff knocked the majority of his enemies away from him. The shadowed figure looked up in shock as he saw the gentlest of the teenagers lose his temper for the first time in years.

Donatello had finished talking with the adults and his siblings and had told his brothers that he needed air. He always liked to go out in the rain to calm down and think, even as a child. He had another reason though. He had better vision than his brothers' since he had made his glasses and contacts himself with special eye enhancements. He was glad that he had yet to make himself some new glasses. Glasses would have obscured his vision in the rain. He had seen the start of a fight, and strangely, he felt he had to join.

After excusing himself from the others, he made his way to the roof of the building where he saw some ninjas fighting off a lone warrior wearing a tattered old kimono that bore a symbol that was familiar to the Hamato children, though they hadn't seen it since their father had disappeared. It didn't take much to put together that the lone figure was some sort of mutated man, what with the rat features upon him, but that wasn't what startled Donatello. What had startled Donatello was the fighting style. Though the man had no weapon on him, save a walking stick, he was fending off the ninjas very well. Donatello gripped his own staff. He saw the men finally surround the mutant rat and he growled much like Raphael. He shouted as he swung his staff, making the ninjas back up and away from the creature.

"This has nothing to do with you, boy. Step away from this, and you and your brothers will live." Donatello's glare hardened even more, his eyes turning near white as he recognized the symbol that Miwa had described to them. It was the symbol of the Foot Clan!

"That says nothing for my sister! I will not let you or your master touch her again!" Donatello shouted with the ferocity that was better suited towards Raphael or Leonardo. He held his staff with one hand and turned towards the rat who started to stand. He offered his free hand to the rat. "You still defend and watch over us, don't you?" He had a small smirk on his face as he whispered the question.

The rat looked at his son as he recalled that Donatello had seen him once, shortly after he had disappeared, and had still recognized him. He gave a soft smile as he took the boy's hand and stood. "I'd never abandon you, Donatello, my son." He whispered kindly. "You or my other children…"

Donatello nodded and grinned. Then he turned towards the ninjas with a cold glare in his mahogany eyes. "You lot had better scram before one of my brothers show up. I'm warning you. If you think I'm tough, my older brothers can kick you guys half way across the city." The steel in his voice startled those around him. "And my little brother's just about ready to kill someone for what happened to our sister." He may have been exaggerating a little about Michelangelo, but the results he wanted still came forth. A few of the newer and weaker ninjas ran while the other ones held their ground. "Have it your way." Donatello grabbed something from his pocket and placed it on his face. It was an old ninja mask from when he and his siblings had been training in the arts of ninjitsu, resized and repaired to fit his head at his current age.

Donatello jumped over a swarm of shuriken, as did his father, and the two landed back to back. Facing the enemy on either side of them, the two held off the amazing odds. Soon though, Donatello noticed someone else was fighting. It was hard to tell who it was as the storm raged on. Donatello didn't know who was helping them till he saw a glimpse of red pass him by. At first, he thought it was blood, but then he recognized Raphael's red mask on his face and the sais that he usually kept on him for such emergencies.

Raphael did a backflip, knocking out two ninjas who had tried to sneak up on Donatello. "Stay away from my brother, punks."

"Raphael, behind you!" Splinter called out, the red ninja barely managing to deflect the blade that would have taken his head.

"Thanks!" Raphael grimaced. 'I know that voice anywhere…' He caught a glimpse of the rat that was fighting with his brother. 'That has to be him… Father, what have they done to you?' He landed a kick that pushed the ninja back into some of his friends, and gave them a look that terrified his foes. "Now… let's get this party started." Donatello smirked as his brother's scare tactics did the usual small miracle of terrifying all in his way. Half of the group was still made out of newbies, so it shocked them to find that this boy was not only good in ninjitsu and fighting, but that he was as scary as the armored man known as the Nightwatcher. Some of the men ran off in fear, much to the young teens' amusement. The rat ninja was not impressed with his enemy sending rookies after him, or his children.

The older ninjas looked to the ones running away in fear for only a moment, but a moment was all the Hamatos needed. The more experienced ninjas found themselves flat on their backs and the three Hamato family members glaring at them with their weapons in a threatening position.

Much to Raphael's surprise, it was Donatello who gave the threat to the ninjas. "Stay away from our sister… stay away from our family… and if you or your master think to touch any one of my family again…" Donatello was up in the leader's face with his staff now. "Then I will personally guarantee that tonight will look like you were facing toddlers with sticks. Do you understand?" He was so furious that it actually made Raphael feel bad. He hated it when Donatello was angry, everyone in the family did. He was too nice of a guy to be angry. He preferred to be a pacifist. The ninjas were just too scared of the strange boys to do anything but run, especially from the purple-masked one with the Bo staff.

Donatello waited until they were long gone before taking a deep breathe to calm himself down. Raphael was concerned about his little brother. "You okay, Don?"

Donatello smirked as he turned his gaze towards his brother. "I'm fine. Thanks for showing up. Heh."

"No problem." Raphael then looked at the rat who was feeling very nervous at the moment. "And you…"

"Raph, don't! He's…"

"I already know who it is. What I'm wondering is why he ain't coming over here so that we can give him the location of our home where he can hide?"

The rat blinked in surprise while Donatello just laughed. "That's a great idea, Raph!" Donatello grabbed a piece of paper from his pocket and a pencil that had been securely placed behind his ear. He wrote down the location. "Here ya go, Father. This is a safe place that we go to after school. No one will find you there!" The rat grimaced as he read the location. It was hidden in the sewers. When the rat took the paper and smiled, Raphael and Donatello took the chance to hug him. "Just be careful getting there."

Hamato Yoshi didn't know what to say. His sons were not scared of him! He let loose a few silent tears as he hugged two of his children back. He had missed them dearly. "You be careful as well. Tonight, you were lucky. Next time…"

"Next time we'll have at least one more on the team. I'm thinking Leo or Mikey, what do you think, Don?" Raphael smirked as they released the rat from their grasp.

Donatello chuckled. "Sounds about right since I need to keep Miwa benched for a while."

"Good luck with that! She's way too spirited sometimes, hehe." The two headed for the stairs back down, knowing that their father would disappear after he was sure they were safely inside. Raphael gave one last glance to his father and gave a small reassuring smile to let him know that they didn't care what he looked like, he was still their father.

Splinter gave a small smile in return before leaving and returning to his post by the window. He was surprised to find Michelangelo was now glaring out the window. He grimaced, hoping his youngest did not see him and think he was a monster. He was shocked when the young boy looked around for anyone nearby. When he was sure that Leonardo was outside the room with the adults and that Miwa was still asleep, he smiled, and waved at his father. Splinter couldn't help but smile back and give a little wave. This got Michelangelo to grin as wide as a Cheshire cat. Splinter couldn't help but wonder why his sons were all reacting as though him being transformed into a rat was not something to worry about. 'My boys are surely strange, but brave ones at that.'


	14. Chapter 14

Miwa was quickly given over to April's custody once the police had Oroku Saki down for child abuse. Though he denied all evidence against him, Miwa firmly put him in place when she started screaming about him leaving her brothers to die in the orphanage all those years ago and accusing him of killing her mother. Donatello and Raphael had both held her back, much to everyone's surprise, as it was usually Raphael who lost his temper first. Leonardo and Michelangelo were making sure that no one got near their siblings while their brothers tried to calm Miwa down. Though they could not keep the man in jail, as his lawyers were too good and he was still considered a humanitarian by many, they did manage to place a restraining order on him. He was not to be within fifty feet of any of the Hamato family, or their caretakers.

Miwa hated it and knew that he would somehow fight it someway, just to prove he could. Donatello and Raphael had decided to take the opportunity to try and surprise the others with a trip to the sewers. It was almost summer now, and they hadn't gone since Miwa had been injured. Donatello stayed with her everyday while his siblings collected his and Miwa's homework and brought it to them. Even with being out of school for so long, Donatello was still top of the class and he was still ahead of the rest of his class. He tutored Miwa so that she wouldn't fail her classes from being out at the hospital all the time. When they came in to finish their finals with their siblings, the Hamato children all scored the highest in the school, thanks to Donatello's tutoring; even Michelangelo!

Donatello had suggested that they go to their sewer home to celebrate, and was rewarded with the eager nods of his siblings. While Raphael had been going there constantly to keep the place clean and check up on their father, unbeknownst to anyone but Donatello, the others had yet to go back since Miwa had been hurt. They had instead been meeting up at the hospital where Miwa was staying. Donatello had been sleeping in a chair next to her bed since the whole mess started, wanting to be there for her in case anything else happened. While the hospital at first was reluctant to let Donatello stay, he had proven himself useful for keeping her calm, and Dr. Stockman had recommended it.

Now Miwa was back at full health and they had passed their tests. They wanted some place they could relax at, and their sewer home was the perfect thing for them. Raphael and Donatello were chuckling as they thought about their siblings reactions to finding their father there in the safe place they had made.

Master Splinter was meditating in the dojo, waiting for Raphael's daily visit with news of his other children. He liked that his son came and interacted with him still though he was a rat. It gave him a sense of normality. He was slightly concerned when he heard multiple feet heading towards his location. His concern turned to somewhat relieved when he heard the laughter of children and the conversations about the day.

He noticed the conversation come to a stop when the footprints did. He kept his eyes closed, fearing the worst. He would not dare lay a hand against his children after what he had done. He had left them. True, it was because he had thought that it was better than having them be raised by a rat, but in the end, his precious daughter had been hurt, and Donatello had been bullied. This he blamed himself for.

He then heard another softer set of movement. When the movement was gone, he slowly opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by his children, all in meditative positions, and all smiling while meditating with him, just as they had done as young children. Splinter wiped a small tear from his eye before continuing with his meditation. His family was reunited, and they were safe. That was all that mattered to him.


End file.
